Reawakening Vol II

Track Listing:

1] Quantic Systems – Techyon 7:24 / 135 BPM
2] Bambino Nuovo – Snow, Omsphere 7:51 / 135 BPM
3] Logical Step – Solar Spectrum 7:16 / 138 BPM
4] Earthling (Solar Spectrum Remix) – Solar Spectrum, Omsphere 7:32 / 135 BPM
5] Evolution Revolution – Tron 7:19 / 142 BPM
6] Aho Aho – Ital 7:16 / 143 BPM
7] Dragonfly – X-Control 6:54 / 145 BPM
8] TJ Source – Tron, Journey 7:06 / 144 BPM
9] Earth Dance – Twelve Sessions 8:42 / 143 BPM
10] Ritual Dance – Ital 6:36 / 144 BPM
11] Wicked Bad Man – Monastic Squid 6:37 / 140 BPM
12] Psychedelics – Braincell 7:40 / 145 BPM
13] Spirit Molecule – Journey 7:26 / 144 BPM
14] Indishanti – Shalys 7:18 / 145 BPM

Genre: Psychedelic Trance/Progressive

Occasionally Free-Spirit Records likes to flaunt itself, not in a big hair and stilettos, chest-out screaming look at me kind of way, no their style is way more subtle than that. Instead, what they will do is quietly assemble a team of producers from within their ranks, compile a few tunes, probably get some guy from the back-blocks of Australia to write a few words about it, release it onto an unsuspecting public then sit back and watch it go kaboom. That sound being the OMG moment when Free-Spirit Records blasts back into the consciousness of psy-trance devotees with a compilation that fully captures the talents they have mustered from the across the globe and now wave under the one banner.
So it will happen again with the release of Reawakening Volume 2, a bringing together of the progressive entities found within Free-Spirit Records’ midst. These gatherings are all firm favourites already, on the basis of their previous albums and EP releases on the label, and the fourteen tracks here provide a showcase for their individual skills and collective sensibilities.
The roll call of artists includes the barn-storming Portuguese duo Techyon, whose contribution opens the album with minimal fanfare but on reflection, provides an unhurried introduction to what it precedes. The track listing is carefully considered with Solar Spectrum’s tunes, once the introductions are over, providing the mood contexts for what is to follow. Tron and Ital, two FSR stalwarts, ensure that once into the guts of the album you are under no misconceptions. Now is the time to start stomping. This one is for the dancers. X-Control and Twelve Sessions’ offerings serve to reinforce this message but just before you start to gasp for oxygen in steps Monastic Squid with light relief, funk and humour. As with any Free-Spirit Records’ progressive inflection, Journey and Omsphere play major roles with tunes reflecting the dabbles their personas have across trance’s full spectrum, psy and beyond. Crafted like a good DJ set the final tunes from Braincell and Shalys encompass nods to journey taken to reach that point, a hint of euphoria and lots of no nonsense lets have it.
Progressive psy-trance’s defining traits are, in comparison to its stable-mates, its no-frills, no gimmicks attitude so that its often minimalist sound can appear simplistic. That accusation cannot be made here; Reawakening Volume 2 has variety and definition, complementing many purposes. Enabling Free-Spirit Records to walk proud, it has done it again; the spotlight is once more on them.

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